Imagine a Superhero and a Villain. In our story, the villain is a molecule in its free radical form. That is, in its form with a single unpaired electron, hunting through our bodies for victims to steal from. This is known as oxidation, where a molecule in its free radical form will steal an electron from another molecule in your body resulting in OXIDATION of that molecule…..a.k.a cell damage. There are other oxidation mechanisms, but we will save that for the chemistry professors to explain.
Our superhero is an antioxidant. As the name implies, antioxidants are not big fans of oxidizers. But rather than running away without a fight, our superhero swoops in and forces the evil oxidizer to accept an electron, therefore neutralizing its ability to oxidize other molecules. The waste from our superhero and villain battle is then ushered out of our bodies through our natural filtration and elimination systems….think bathroom! It is a selfless act, and the superhero must be flushed and die along with the villain. But lucky for us, we can repopulate our bodies with superheroes daily.
We can re-introduce our superheroes by eating healthy foods. Spinach, for example, is a great source of the antioxidant Lutein [1]. Another is apples, which contain a variety of antioxidants such as quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid [2]. My personal favorite superheroes are blueberries, rich in anthocyanin, a flavonoid, that loves to fight radicals[3].
On and on we could go, but you get the point. Now you are asking yourself “Why are we talking about this when all I want to do is order some smooth Mexican Swiss Water Decaf?” Of course, we want you to buy that Mexican or Thai decaf…..lots of it! But we are also dedicated to healthy living and education. We know you are too, so we want to be a source of information on how healthy lifestyles include healthy eating, exercise, and moderate amounts of coffee (especially Blue Spruce Decaf!).
Blue Spruce Swiss Water Decaf Coffees contain the antioxidant family known as polyphenols, which help to slow or prevent oxidative damage, and inflammation. Antioxidants have also widely been shown to help in cancer prevention…..but unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that. And by the way, Swiss Water Decaf coffee has more antioxidants than black tea, green tea, and red wine, according to the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power scale[4].
At Blue Spruce Decaf we only use the 100% chemical-free Swiss Water Process to help prevent the introduction of any unwanted oxidizers into your body, while still giving you similar amounts of antioxidants as found in caffeinated coffee…….without the all night tossing and turning due to that late afternoon or evening cup.
OK, OK, I’ll let you get to ordering your next favorite cup of Blue Spruce Swiss Water Decaf.
I hope you are a touch wiser, but if you’re a nerd like me and want to learn more, please visit any of the links/references below for more details and other perspectives.
Stay tuned for my next post: “Does Swiss Water Decaf Coffee Prevent Cognitive Decline”.
Reference/Citations
[1] Linköping University. "Getting the most out of spinach: Maximizing the antioxidant lutein." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181221123810.htm (accessed January 19, 2021). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181221123810.htm [2] Boyer, J., & Liu, R. H. (2004). Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutrition journal, 3, 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-3-5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC442131/#:~:text=In%20the%20laboratory%2C%20apples%20have,of%20which%20are%20strong%20antioxidants. [3] How many BC blueberries does it take to boost your health? https://www.bcblueberry.com/health (Accessed January 20, 2021) [4] 6 Antioxidants in Coffee You Probably Didn't Know Existed (coffeescience.org) (Accessed January 20, 2021) www.coffeescience.org/6-antioxidants-in-coffee/#:~:text=%20Antioxidants%20in%20Coffee%20%201%20Cafestol.%20Cafestol,unique%20aroma%20when%20roasting%20coffee?%20More...%20More [5] 4 Wondrous Health Benefits of Decaf Coffee That You Must Know. (Accessed January 19, 2021). https://howtocure.com/benefits-of-decaf-coffee/